Cross Sound Express Whale Watching
Cross Sound Express Whale Watching
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To begin with...I do not delete, hide or edit ANY reviews on this page. That being said...our vessel is 50’ long with seating for 28 passengers and an open back deck with a rain awning for viewing and photography of the whales and wildlife. We depart from the Gustavus City dock which is approximately 9 miles from Glacier Bay Lodge and Glacier Bay. From there we generally take the 7.2 mile crossing in Icy Strait to an area by Chichigof Island known as Point Adolphus. The crossing takes about 35 minutes and quite often we will check out Sea Otters on the way over. Once we get to PA (Point Adolphus) we position ourselves near the whales and shut off the engines so we can drift with them and we place our Hydrophone in the water to hear their sounds over our speaker system. Although we always see whales (up close) we usually also see many Stellar Sea Lions, Bald Eagles and sometimes the occasional Alaska Brown Bear strolling the shores of Chichigof Island. During the course of the tour we offer information about the area, the whales, and the other wildlife we encounter. On the average we see Orca (Killer Whales) about a dozen times a season.
Gustavus, Alaska
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Cross Sound Express Whale Watching
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
88 reviews
Excellent
78
Very good
7
Average
2
Poor
0
Terrible
1
Robert G
Valdosta, GA92 contributions
Jul 2021
This is an excellent crew and outfit. They really know the area and how to get close to the humpback whales. We saw several breaching multiple times and caught a quick glimpse of a couple of killer whale fins. The best part is when they turn the engine off and drift as you can really hear the whales breathing. There are sea otters everywhere as well. They spend several hours on the water about 30 minutes from the dock and it is really worth it. There is coffee, hot chocolate, snacks and a bathroom on board and seats inside if you wish. Very reliable to get you back to dock in time to catch an afternoon flight.
Written August 5, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JeremyD_79
14 contributions
Jun 2022
Tod and Sarah were both personable and made the experience memorable. Snacks and hot beverages were provided below deck. Our family of three were joined by two other parties, which meant everyone was able to have a great view on deck to see the whales. We saw many whale tails and came in very close proximity to a pod of three whales. We found a very active whale who breached and later showed off his flipper and kept slapping the surface of the water with this tail- I had never seen the latter before. The captain listened to the interests of the group and tried to gear the trip to meet those goals. Tod was able to accommodate our luggage on the Taz since we had checked out of our lodging and were headed to the airport after. This was an afternoon tour and was finalized in time to make our Alaskan Airlines flight in the evening.
Written July 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amy M
Gainesville, FL4 contributions
Jul 2022
Todd and Sara were fantastic! We were a sad group as we had flown to Gustavus from Juneau that morning to take the all day Glacier Bay catamaran tour from the Glacier Bay Lodge, only to arrive and find the tour cancelled because the boat had broken down and was beyond repair. Everyone was scrambling to book something else, and Todd and Sara very graciously added on an unplanned afternoon tour to accommodate our group of 6 (ages ranging from 10-65) and several other groups who had also been cancelled from Glacier Bay. We were so relieved to find something to do as we didn't have a return flight to Juneau until 8pm. What we didn't realize is how awesome this whale watch would be!
We saw at least 20 whales and many eagles, sea lions and seals. We loved being able to hear the whale songs through their microphone in the water, and both Sara and Todd shared loads of interesting facts about all of the sea life. They were very accommodating, friendly, knew the waters very well and definitely gave us our money's worth! What a great day on the water. The boat was comfortable, the seas were calm, the company great, and we were thrilled to see so much wildlife. Thank you so much Todd and Sara for saving our trip to Gustavus! You guys rock!
We saw at least 20 whales and many eagles, sea lions and seals. We loved being able to hear the whale songs through their microphone in the water, and both Sara and Todd shared loads of interesting facts about all of the sea life. They were very accommodating, friendly, knew the waters very well and definitely gave us our money's worth! What a great day on the water. The boat was comfortable, the seas were calm, the company great, and we were thrilled to see so much wildlife. Thank you so much Todd and Sara for saving our trip to Gustavus! You guys rock!
Written July 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mabel G
Sparta, WI67 contributions
Jun 2021
We booked this trip on our last day in Glacier Bay - it was supposed to rain, so hiking didn't sound as much fun. We're so happy we didn't miss this opportunity! Whales, whales, and more whales! All humpbacks with lots of tails. Todd even found a group of 5 who were feeding together. Great experience!
Written June 24, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mrsgunflint
Windsor, CO10 contributions
Jul 2024 • Couples
When we were planning a sudden trip to Gustavus, Alaska, locals highly recommended this whale watching trip and we were able to do it 3 times during our stay. Todd and Sara really know how to find the whales and enable great whale watching while showing extreme respect and care not to disturb them or cause them the slightest bit of stress. We saw dozens of dramatic breaches and jumps by the whales, and got some very good pictures to remember our visit. The boat, called the Taz, was comfortable, sturdy and reliable, and everyone got excellent views. Todd and Sara were also very experienced and knowledgeable and gave us lots of interesting facts and stories from their many years of being in the waters off of Gustavus. Highly recommend this tour!
Written July 14, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kathy S
Cullman, AL30 contributions
Jul 2023
Honestly, my husband and I can't imagine visiting Alaska and not going to Gustavus for a day on The Taz. Captain Tod provides a unique experience where he finds the whales, and then he turns off the boat and lets you watch and experience the whales up close. He is so knowledgeable about the whales that he can posiiton the boat to provide the best whale watching experience possible. On our trip in July, we had another incredible day with Tod on The Taz. Highly recommend!
Written August 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
goodinfo
Kabul166 contributions
Aug 2021
This was a great experience. We saw at least three pods of humpback whales and were often times surrounded by them. On more than one occasion, they swam directly toward out boat (50 ft) and at the last minute dove under the boat. During this four hour excursion, we also saw sea otters and eagles. CPT Todd and Sarah were very friendly and communicative. My favorite event however was when we shut down the engine, and CPT Todd put a hydrophone in the water and we could hear the sounds of the whales' communicating with each other. The complete silence of the Icey Bay area coupled with the whale sounds from the water was something special. There are two things to do in Gustavus, AK - the NPS all day boat trip involving about 125 round trip miles and this Cross Sound Express tour. Do them both - I would do them both again in a minute.
Written August 16, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eliza T
3 contributions
Jul 2022 • Solo
I worked in Gustavus over the summer and was fortunate enough to go on multiple trips with Todd and Sara. They were one of the highlights of my summer. Todd and Sara are both extremely knowledgeable about all the wildlife in icy straight. Most boats in the area are filled with people and never stop running their engines. The cross sound express is never crowded and Todd tries to turn the boat off near the whales if he can so you can hear them. Additionally, they are very respectful of the whale’s space and all the rules regarding how to boat safely around whales. The boat itself has a large deck along with a warm cabin stocked with snacks and warm drinks. If you are visiting glacier bay, I would suggest making a whale watch trip with Todd your number one priority!!!
Written March 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
chemicaldude
Oklahoma City, OK207 contributions
Jul 2021 • Solo
The trip was awesome! We saw at least 20 different humpback whales with probably 4 to 5 different pods and anywhere from 3 to 7 in each pod.
We saw seals, porpoises, even a jellyfish. Lots and lots of different birds including a bald eagle.
The crew were very knowledgeable and enjoyed sharing their experiences.
We saw seals, porpoises, even a jellyfish. Lots and lots of different birds including a bald eagle.
The crew were very knowledgeable and enjoyed sharing their experiences.
Written July 4, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Samantha S
New York City, NY9 contributions
Jul 2024 • Couples
We decided to take this tour after our Glacier Bay Tour and we needed something to fill some time before getting on a 5:30pm flight the next day. This was perfect and magical! It is a pretty small boat and the free coffee needs some work (ha), but other than that this was an incredible and chill experience! If you’re expecting a formal tour, this is a bit different and is more casual and small, which we really liked. We even met some locals at dinner that said they do this tour 11 times a summer! Todd and Sara were so friendly and helpful and had a lot of great info to share, and good expertise, even as a whale was swimming straight toward our boat within 2 feet (so cool!), they wisely told us to stomp on the deck since it was clear the whale didn’t see us! Loved the whole experience and would highly recommend for all ages and levels of whale watching.
Written September 14, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Our cruise ship will be docking in Haines on June 28th and we would like to go whale watching. How would we get to the boat dock for the TAZ tour?
Written January 11, 2017
Consider to take a whale watching tour from Juneau instead.
Written January 14, 2017
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